Chapter 3: Hearts, Hustle, and Hesitation

"Why did you suddenly change your mind again?" Marcus’s face was stone, his voice serious.

"You guys mess around, I never interfere. Joking’s fine, but when it comes to work…"

He paused. "Shouldn’t you think things through and see them to the end?"

He’d dropped his voice, like he didn’t want to scare me. Only a boss this beautiful could also be this considerate.

I felt a little mushy. "Yeah, but I’m even more reluctant to leave you."

His fingers twitched on the desk.

I added, "And the others. Like Lila in the break room who always sneaks me the last donut, Natalie who’s basically the Starbucks fairy, Caleb who’s our IT lifesaver… All of them, I can’t bear to leave."

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "You sure have a lot of people in your heart. Do you like all of them?"

Not really. The boss is still the best—none of their butts are as perky as yours.

I shrugged. "There are women too. I like everyone here."

He smirked. "I don’t know what those people have to do with what you sent me. But by your logic, you’ve got too many options, so you need to hesitate more, right?"

"Right. Can’t go all-in on just one play, right?"

I said it seriously: "Of course, I can’t give up this tree easily either, so I still need to think it over."

Marcus didn’t say a word, but his fingers clenched into a fist—his knuckles went white, and I caught the tiniest twitch at his jaw—like he was holding something back.

Guess I hit a nerve.

After all, he’s the boss, responsible for everyone.

He can’t just leave whenever he wants, unlike me.

Rich people have their own problems.

"I see you’re more than willing to leave me, every word hits home."

Marcus slid off his glasses, back to his usual cool, distant vibe.

"Go on."

"So… I know you didn’t mean it, I won’t take it to heart."

His face was unreadable, but something flickered behind his eyes, like he was trying hard not to let too much show. Sometimes, I wondered if he ever let himself be vulnerable—even for a second.